Combination mold-shipping container for slabbed moldable material



p -5,1967 I A. E. FOOTE I 3,339,727'

COMBINATION MOLD-SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR SLABBED MOLDABLE MATERIAL Filed May 17, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Int/6722 57! Ulla, Z. R0272 A. E. FOOTE Sept. 5, 1967 COMBINATION MOLD-SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR SLABBED MOLDABLE MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed May 17, 1965 1720672157' GZZczrz E Edi 6 crz- United States Patent 3,339,727 COMBINATION MOLD-SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR SLABBED MOLDABLE MATERIAL Allan E. Foote, Ambler, Pa., assignor to Container Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 17, 1965, Ser. No. 456,290 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container formed from a single blank of liquid-proof paperboard folded to have a bottom wall, opposed pairs of side walls hinged to the bottom wall, and a liquid-tight corner construction including triangular panels hinged to the side walls and to each other and releasably secured to the side walls; and to partitions within the container suitable to separate a fluid moldable material as slabs after the material has set, and whereby the slabs are accessible simultaneously on the top and sides thereof upon folding the triangular panels and the side walls away from the slabs.

This invention relates to a liquid-tight paperboard container suitably surface coated and partitioned, that serves initially as the mold for forming the slabs from molten or hot liquid material and thereafter serves as the shipping container for the finished slabs.

Commonly, many moldable materials, such as wax, are for-med into slabs of predetermined size and shape convenient for remelting 'by the user. Presently, wax slabs, for example, are molded in a slabbing machine having separate predetermined, rectangularly shaped molding chambers to correspond to the finished slab, shape and size conventional with the slab market. After the wax has set, the slabs are removed from the slabbing machine and packaged in appropriate shipping containers. For small volume specialty runs where the composition of wax is changed, the sla'bbing machine must be cleaned after each run to prepare for the subsequent run. Temporary, or low volume slabs runs are sometimes made in a fibre can or drum partitioned into pie-shaped slabs. However, slabs of this shape are not as readily accepted by the user since commonly, the machine designed to use the slab can only receive slabs of the sla'bbing machine size and shape. In general, the present method of slab'bing and packaging wax is not that attractive or economical to either the wax manufacturer or wax user.

Accordingly, this invention relates to an improved method of forming slabs of a moldable material of relatively low melting temperature, such as wax, and more particularly, to the method of molding the slabs directly in an open top cellular, liquid-tight paperboard receptacle that also serves as the shipping container for the slabs.

Another object of this invention is to provide a liquidtight partitioned, paperboard container that can receive and retain the hot liquid material until such material has set as solid slabs, that can thereafter serve as the shipping container for the slabs, and further that can be readily disassembled for easy access to the slabs and is specially surface treated to provide good release of the slabs.

These and other objects of this invention will be more fully understood after reviewing the subject specification and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View, having parts of the closure flaps opened, of a preferred embodiment of the subject slab wax container;

FIG. 2 is an elevational sectional view as seen generally from line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the partitions and partition guides used in the container of FIG. 1;

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FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3 showing the cooperation between the end of the partition and the partition guides;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the blank suitable for forming the container shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the blank suitable for forming the partition guides shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Referring now to the drawings for a detailed description of the subject invention, a receptacle or container 10 formed from a single blank 11 of paperboard is folded to a box configuration having a bottom and two pairs of opposing side walls. Partitions 12 are held within the container 10 by guides 14 to divide the container into a number of separated compartments or chambers open at the top. The liquid material is poured into the open top of the container, then acting as a mold, the material cooling therein to set as slabs suitable in size and shape for remelting. The container is liquid tight, and its inner surface as well as the partitions and guides are treated with a catalyzed silicone release coating so that the liquid material will not leak from, destroy, or adhere to the container structure. The container is closed and sealed, preferably before the material has fully set, to convert the mold to a shipping container for the finished slabs.

FIG. 5 shows the blank 11 suitably scored to form the container 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The container is of tray construction having a central bottom panel 20, opposed side panels 22 hinged along score lines 23 to the end edges of the bottom panel, opposed side panels 24 hinged on corresponding edges along score lines 25 to the opposite end edges of the bottom panel, closure panels 26 hinged on score lines 27 to the opposite edges of the side panel, and diagonal corner panels 28 hinged along score lines 29 and 30 to the side panels and along diagonal score lines 31 to each other. Generally, the score lines 23 and 29 are aligned and parallel, score lines 25 and 30 are aligned and parallel and normal to the former score lines, and score lines 31 extend at 45 angles to both score lines from their intersections.

The container is formed by first folding the side panels 22 and 24 upwardly to approximate right angles to the bottom panel '20 to bring the corner panels 28 in generally face-to-face contact with one another and extended outwardly of the perimeter of the side walls, and then folding the common corner panels against outer surfaces of one pair of side walls. As can be seen in 'FIG. 1, the corner panels 28 overlap one another and are secured to the side walls 22 in face-to-face relationship therewith by means such as staples 34. The hinged edges 31 of the corner panels overlap one another to provide, where they cross, a bulged section outwardly of the end wall 22 that can be used as handles 36 for lifting the container.

A partition guide 14 is shown in FIG. 6 and includes an elongated blank 38 having a length approximately twice the height of the side walls of the container and a width slightly less than one pair of side walls, e.g. walls 22. The blank has parallel score lines 40 extending completely across the medial portion at approximately quarter heights to define thereby end panels 42, medial panels 43, and a central main panel 44. The end panels 42 are folded on the appropriate score lines to be adjacent the central panel 44 as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The central panel 44 is provided with elongated slots 46 extending across the entire height thereof and partially into the narrow medial panels 43. The slots 46 of the separate guides are paired up to provide openings appropriate for receiving each of the partitions.

The partitions 12 are formed as elongated blanks having cross dimensions equal substantially to the height of the side walls of the container and to the distance between the back folded end walls 42 of the opposite guides 14.

The partitions 12 are thus received within the guide openings and held in place relative to the container. The end closures 26 are held out of the way during the filling of the container with the liquid material and thereafter are folded against the tops of the partitions 12 to close the container and held closed by tape 48. By extending partitions 12 the full height of the container to be in contact with both the bottom wall 20 and the closure panels 26, the slabs are neatly formed and can readily be separated from one another by the ultimate user.

The gusset-type corner construction between the side walls is liquid-tight and further provides that the consumer can readily separate the side walls from the formed slabs to reach them for ultimate use. This can be done by removing the staples and folding the appropriate corner panels and side walls away from the slabs. It is desirable also to treat the inner surfaces of the container, the partitions and guides with a barrier type release agent, such as a catalyzed silicone coating to prevent the material from sticking to these surfaces.

It can be noted that many materials having relatively low melting temperatures of approximately 200 F. and commonly marketed as slabs can be suitaby slab formed in the container disclosed herein. Wax and hot melt adhesive are merely two such materials. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the open top of the container presents a plurality of separate chambers each dimensioned to correspond to the slab to be formed. The partitions 12 can be in place in the container and the molten material poured into the container within the separate chambers. Also, it is possible, and sometimes desirable to eliminate possible warpage of the partitions, to initially pour the molten material into the container with only one of the partitions in place and thereafter to insert the other partitions into the aligned openings 46 of guides 14 for further dividing of the container. Preferably, after the liquid material has been poured into the container and the partitions are all in place, the container is closed and sealed. This prevents bowing of the side walls of the container and allows the material to set as properly sized, rectangular slabs. After the material has fully set, the paperboard container adequately serves as a disposable shipping container for the slabs.

While only a single embodiment of the subject invention has been disclosed, it is obvious that other modifications can be made therein. Accordingly, it is desired that the invention be limited only by the scope of the claims hereinafter following.

What is claimed is:

1. A container for slabs formed of material having a relative low melting temperature, the container initially acting as the mold for forming the slabs from the heated liquid material and thereafter acting as the shipping container for the slabs, the combination comprising:

(a) a single blank of liquid-proof paperboard folded to provide a bottom wall, opposed pairs of side walls hinged to opposite edges of the bottom wall, and liquid-tight corner constructions in the form of triangular panels hinged between adjacent edges of the side walls and to each other and folded over the outer surfaces of one pair of the side Walls and releasably secured in fa-ce-to-face relation thereto;

(b) vertically positioned partitions formed of liquidproof paperboard disposed Within the receptacle and defining separated chambers open at the tops for receiving the liquid material which thereafter sets as the slabs, said partitions serving to separate the slabs from one another;

(c) closure means for covering the open top of the receptacle after it has been filled with the liquid material for providing a shipping container for the slabs when the same have set;

((1) said slabs being accessible, when desired, simultaneously on the top and sides thereof upon opening the closure means and upon separating the triangular panels from the one pair of side walls and folding the side walls and triangular panels away from the slabs.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the inner surfaces of the bottom and side walls are treated with a barrier type release agent to permit clean separation of the container from the slabs.

3. A container according to claim 1, wherein the partition means are treated with a barrier type release agent to permit clean separation of the slabs from the partition means.

4. A container according to claim 1, wherein the inner surfaces of the bottom and side walls and the partition means are treated with a barrier type release agent to permit clean separation of the container from the slabs and of the slabs from the partition means.

5. A container according to claim 4, wherein said barrier type release agent is a catalyzed silicone coating.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 877,757 1/1908 Comings 229-34 2,106,907 2/193 8 Brunt 229--31 2,517,756 8/ 1950 Zabriskie et al. 2,521,403 9/1950 Overland. 2,650,751 9/1953 Goers 229-3l 2,724,539 11/ 1955 Schenk 20656 2,932,386 4/1960 Ushkow 20663.2 X

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONTAINER FOR SLABS FORMED OF MATERIAL HAVING A RELATIVE LOW MELTING TEMPERATURE, THE CONTAINER INITIALLY ACTING AS THE MOLD FOR FORMING TH SLABS FROM THE HEATED LIQUID MATERIAL AND THEREAFTER ACTING AS THE SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR THE SLABS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) A SINGLE BLANK OF LIQUID-PROOF PAPERBOARD FOLDED TO PROVIDE A BOTTOM WALL, OPPOSED PAIRS OF SIDE WALLS HINGED TO OPPOSITE EDGES OF THE BOTTOM WALL, AND LIQUID-TIGHT CORNER CONSTRUCTIONS IN THE FORM OF TRIANGULAR PANELS HINGED BETWEEN ADJAENT EDGES OF THE SIDE WALLS AND TO EACH OTHER AND FOLDED OVER THE OUTER SURFACES OF ONE PAIR OF THE SIDE WALLS AND RELEASABLY SECURED IN FACE-TO-FACE RELATION THERETO; (B) VERTICALLY POSITIONED PARTITIONS FORMED OF LIQUIDPROOF PAPERBOARD CHAMBERS OPEN AT THE TOPS FOR DEFINING SEPARATED CHAMBERS OPEN AT THE TOPS FOR RECEIVING THE LIQUID MATERIAL WHICH THEREAFTER SETS AS THE SLABS, SAID PARTITIONS SERVING TO SEPARATE THE SLABS FROM ONE ANOTHER; (C) CLOSURE MEANS FOR COVERING THE OPEN TOP OF THE RECEPTACLE AFTER IT HAS BEEN FILLED WITH THE LIQUID MATERIAL FOR PROVIDING A SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR THE SLABS WHEN THE SAME HAVE SET; (D) SAID SLABS BEING ACCESSIBLE, WHEN DESIRED, SIMULTANEOUSLY ON THE TOP AND SIDES THEREOF UPON OPENING THE CLOSURE MEANS AND UPON SEPARATING THE TRIANGULAR PANELS FROM THE ONE PAIR OF SIDE WALLS AND FOLDING THE SIDE WALLS AND TRIANGULAR PANELS AWAY FROM THE SLABS. 